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Nelson Piquet Jr. Wins NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Race at Bristol Motor Speedway

Mar 20, 2012

Brazil's Nelson Piquet Jr. wins Widow Wax 125 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee

Nelson Piquet Jr. is the first driver from Brazil to win a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race. He won Saturday's Widow Wax 125 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee, leading a race-high 62 laps and holding off Ryan Blaney on a green-white-checkered flag finish.

Piquet won the pole and led the first 35 laps of the race. Chase Elliott took the lead from Piquet on lap 36, but Elliott and Blaney collided on lap 76. The damage to Elliott's car forced him to pit. Blaney stayed on the track and raced with the leaders the rest of the way.

Nelson Piquet Jr. winning the first NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race of the season

Blaney and Corey LaJoie battle for the lead until lap 101. LaJoie cut a tire and had to pit. Piquet moved back into the lead and held it for the final 27 laps.

"Stayed in control most of the race," said Piquet, a driver for X Team Racing. "In the middle we had a little issue, started getting a little loose. I was also probably not at my best on restarts and on giving space. It's still something that I'm learning, how much space I should give to the guy on the inside, on the outside. That's something that's going to come with time."

Piquet is a regular in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and is planning on racing in two Nationwide Series races this year. He has confirmed rides for the races at Road America and Watkins Glen. He said he has plans to race more in the Nationwide Series.

As for the K&N Pro Series East, Piquet said he is looking to return, perhaps for the race at Richmond International Raceway in April, but has no definite plans yet.

In the race at Bristol, Piquet said he needed to correct some early mistakes to win it in the closing laps. "I managed to get my act together at the end of the race, get my positions back, hold it and bring it in to victory lane," Piquet said.

Piquet is the son of Nelson Piquet, a three-time Formula One champion from Brazil. Piquet Jr. said he talked to his dad after the race at Bristol. "My dad called me, spoke to him a little bit," Piquet Jr. said. "He didn't see the race because it wasn't live in Brazil. I think he was pretty happy."

Blaney led one lap in the race, after knocking Elliott out of the race on lap 76. Blaney, the son of former NASCAR Nextel Cup Series driver Dave Blaney, apologized to Elliott after the race and said his team made key adjustments to his car midway through the race.

"First half of the race we were a little bit too loose for my liking and we couldn't really make up any ground on the leaders," Blaney said.

After the first round of pit stops, Blaney said his crew gave him a near-perfect car. "We were the best car on the track after six, seven laps," Blaney said. "It just took a little bit to get going. That's where Nelson beat us. He could get going really, really quick."

Ryan Gifford finished third. "It was fun today," Gifford said after the race on Saturday. "We had a real good car. I don't know if we had one to get up there and race with those guys. We were a little too free the whole time. That's good. That's an improvement from last year. I think we can come together and win a race here before the year is over. I'm really excited, realty pumped up and ready for Greenville."

Travis Pastrana, an X Games and rally car champion, made his first NASCAR start of 2012. He finished 12th. Elliott recovered from his mid-race collision and finished 10th. LaJoie dropped back in the field and finished a lap down in 22nd.

The next NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race is Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 at Greenville Pickens Speedway in South Carolina on March 31.

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Rock River Powersports Grants Clint Quesinberry's AMA Supercross Dream

Mar 20, 2012

Jarred Browne's K&N supported bike was ready to go and once the nagging injuries heal, so will be Browne. Photo by Vurbmoto.

As the winner of the "2011 Team Manager Award," Christina Denny has established she has a polished knack for resourcefulness. In her position as team manager for Rock River Powersports located in Jefferson, Wisconsin, those skills have served the team well. As a newly formed team, 2011 reset the bar for the young professional motocross team on several levels. Along with Denny becoming the first woman ever to be honored with the manger of the year award, team rider, Alexah Pearson won the rookie of the year.

2011 Team Manager Award winner, Christina Denny and part of her team walk the track at St. Louis Supercross. Photo by Vurbmoto.

In 2012 Denny has added yet another talent to her resume, as fulfiller of dreams, specifically, Clint Quesinberry's dream. "As a participant and huge fan of the sport I feel that there are many things that go unseen to the public world of motocross racing," remarked Quesinberry. "I always wonder about all the behind the scenes action of what the riders and teams go through throughout the week, and on race day, to make it all happen. I feel that there's a lot we are missing as fans and I wanted to see more of what I was missing."

According to Denny, Vurbmoto offered Quesinberry the opportunity to choose a team to follow around for a day at the St. Louis Supercross event and Quesinberry choose Denny. "After obtaining the internship with Vurbmoto to work in the media industry for the day at St. Louis SX, I thought it would be awesome to see if I could see the team side of things as well. I thought it would make for a great story for Vurbmoto and also a great experience for me as well," Quesinberry told K&N News.

Seth Caldwell's bike stands along with his Rock River Powersports teammates. Photo by Vurbmoto.

"I have always wanted to work for a team, but do not have the skills to be a mechanic. I wasn't sure what other jobs teams have, but I thought this would be a great opportunity to find out. I got in touch with Christina and pitched the idea of following her team for the day to see everything that they do. She thought the idea was great and was more than willing to let me follow the team around and she included me in pretty much everything throughout the day. The insight I gained was great! I would be in heaven to just wash the bikes for a team like hers. I can't stress enough about how welcoming Christina and the entire team were. I have nothing but the upmost respect for them. I hope that I have a chance to work with the team again in the future, with Vurbmoto or any other way."

Rock River Powersports team mission statement is essentially to support riders from their PW50 years through their 450 Supercross years. Rock River's program does not focus on a single rider, although winning a title would be a dream for the team, they are more interested in helping young talent step into the professional ranks and make a career out of racing. Few things shine a more positive light on not only Rock River and Vurbmoto, but the entire Supercross series, than fulfilling an enthusiastic fans dreams and sharing the exuberance.

Team mechanic, Steven Doss, taking a bike through inspection. Photo by Vurbmoto.

Does she now entertain the notion of fulfilling more dreams? "Yes, I would certainly do this again," said Denny. "Giving someone from the outside an opportunity to experience a day at the races is an excellent opportunity to grow this sport. The more that people get to see the ins-and-outs of racing, the better, and what it can do for our team is limitless. All it does is help promote our team, riders and sponsors in a different light. Giving any chance to market and promote those who help our team is what I look for, along with giving Clint the chance to live out a dream as well."

Now in the middle of their 2012 Supercross season Denny reflects about her team, "Despite the injuries that both Jarred Browne and Ben LaMay have gone through, I couldn't be happier. We are having a tough time getting through to the mains every week, but not for lack of trying. It is super stacked and everything has to line up perfect to make it through to one of those 20 spots on the gate."

"Currently we are moving forward and getting bikes ready for MX," adds Denny. "We are going to continue the SX Series all the way through Vegas. We are excited to have the addition of WMX rider, Amanda Maheu."

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

Allen Johnson Soars to Number One Pro Stock Qualifier at NHRA GatorNationals with Career Best E.T.

Mar 20, 2012

Former K&N Horsepower Challenge Champion Allen Johnson

After being a very familiar face to the Pro Stock pole position for numerous races, former K&N Horsepower Challenge Champion, Allen Johnson returned to the top spot in grand style after waiting twelve long events to do so with a career best E.T. of 6.486, the nineteenth career No. 1 and his first at the prestigious 2012 GatorNationals in Gainesville, Florida.

Allen Johnson at the 2012 GatorNationals in Gainesville, Florida

As Pro Stock qualifying progressed, for the 43rd annual Tire Kingdom NHRA GatorNationals at Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville, it could have been any number of drivers heading into Sunday's eliminations sitting on top of the ladder. The sought after top spot and $3,000 bonus from K&N changed hands several times starting with Erica Enders and her 6.555 out of the gate during session number one on Friday only to be bumped by the 6.545 at 211.46 MPH, that current L&N Horsepower Challenge leader, Jason Line laid down later in the day.

Not to be counted out was eventual number one qualifier, Allen Johnson from Greeneville, Tennessee. Johnson also made a move during the second session on Friday, matching Line's 6.545 only to land at number two due to being just a little behind in the mile-per-hour department, which is used as a tiebreaker for identical qualifying E.T.'s.

With a much cooler track temperature than the afternoon pass the previous day, teams were ready to see some quicker numbers for Saturday's first session and Johnson was calling for some 6.48's to come up on the board before the cars ever went down the track. And not only was he correct in his prediction, he nailed one himself with his 2012 Mopar Dodge Avenger.

All professional, as well as some sportsman classes, are assigned lanes for qualifying sessions, alternating from one side to the other. Johnson was quite happy to be going into the right lane for Saturday's first session. "The right lane was better and we happened to have it for the best session on Saturday morning," explained Johnson. "That 6.486 was my personal best."

When the afternoon and final session was in the books, Johnson was able to hold on to his number one and remain as one of only two teams that were able to muster E.T.'s dipping down into the 6.40-range, which included Jason Line's 6.490.

With all of the varying weather conditions that teams are thrown from one session to the next, let alone tracks such as Gainesville where teams noted that they needed to make extra adjustments depending on which lane they were going to run, Johnson points out the numerous changes that they can make on their Pro Stock entries. "It's unbelievable, just within the clutch, the gear ratio and the transmission," he said. "Right there, well there's ten to fifteen different decisions to make and then you have your tire size and four-link positions, leave RPM, your carb jetting and so on. You can kind of overcome a bad lane by using less clutch and changing your leave RPM. The left lane at Gainesville was a little "balder" which you would lose more of your initial traction, so you had to be really careful or you would blow the tires off."

Johnson is hoping to add another K&N Horsepower Challenge Championship later this summer to the one he won in 2009. With his latest number one qualifier, which not only earned him the $3,000 Low Qualifier check from K&N Engineering, but it also added the maximum one hundred seventy-five points to his total for the 2012 shootout, he remains solidly in the standings for a shot to race for the biggest single payday in all of NHRA Pro Stock and a shot at the $50,000 championship check that will go to the winner of the K&N Horsepower Challenge in July.

"You know we just appreciate K&N and all that they do for us," said Johnson, who still proudly wears and shows off his 2009 K&N Champion Ring. "From the qualifying bonuses they pay and the whole very special program in itself for the Pro Stock class. K&N and the people behind it are just awesome and we just can't thank them enough."

From the lower lands and moister air of Florida the teams will regroup and make many of those changes Johnson spoke of to their hot rods, for the next event on the 2012 NHRA schedule, when they head to drier air at "The Strip" at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the 13th annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals March 30-April 1. The Las Vegas event will start the home stretch of just eight events left to gain points for the 2012 K&N Horsepower Challenge set to be held during the NHRA national event at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, July 5-8.

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

K&N's Mike Edwards Holeshots His Way to NHRA GatorNational Pro Stock Wally

Mar 20, 2012

2012 GatorNationals Pro Stock Champ Mike Edwards

"It was a great win for all of us and great win for our team and hopefully we can build off of it and continue on," said Mike Edwards after becoming the newly crowned GatorNationals Pro Stock Champ when he defeated a tough Greg Anderson in a 6.566 to 6.538 holeshot victory, during the rain delayed 43rd annual Tire Kingdom NHRA GatorNationals in Gainesville, Florida.

Mike Edwards at the 43rd annual Tire Kingdom NHRA GatorNationals in Gainesville, Florida

Edwards has been waiting, not so quietly in the wings, for his first NHRA Pro Stock win of the season after making noise with a number one qualifier at the previous race on the NHRA schedule in Phoenix and hoping to carry that success into a victory. Now with the third event of the still young 2012 season upon him and an event that he had yet to add to his extensive win list, Edwards set to do battle for the GatorNationals and for the first time this season, it was from a little farther down the qualifying sheet.

Edwards and his K&N/Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac made a good opening pass of 6.556 in the right lane during Friday's first session, only to come back for the afternoon session to make his run in the troublesome left lane, shaking the tires shortly after launch which caused the former NHRA World Champ to abort the run. "We just struggled with the left lane there," he admitted. "With the setup we were trying to use, well we just weren't having much luck over there in that lane. We ran really good during the last qualifying run, so we ended up fourth, but we did struggle some in qualifying and more than we have so far all year."

When Saturday rolled around, Edwards would get to go back to the right lane and to give it his best shot in not only what many Pro Stock drivers referred to as the better lane, but the best conditions of all four sessions. But it was not to be for Edwards and his troubles continued when the car went silent not long after the green came on and he coasted to a stop halfway down the track.

Now hanging in at an uncharacteristic fourteenth spot on the ladder, Edwards made a huge move to get onto the top half of the ladder in the fourth and final session. Never to be written off, his final effort landed him in the number four spot for eliminations with a 6.506, a whopping five hundredths of a second quicker than his one and only other full qualifying pass the day before down the north central Florida drag strip.

First round Edwards would meet up with Shane Gray and set the stage for what was to come by not only putting a heck of a bulb on Gray with his .011 reaction time to Gray's .054, but also had the best reaction time of any driver the entire round. The round win would set him up for the quarter final pairing with Ron Krisher. Even though it may not be a reaction time to write home about, Edwards had a huge advantage by more than doubling Krisher on the tree. Krisher with problems down track, causing him to lift, Edwards went on to make another solid run with a 6.528, the quickest of the round.

With that, the rains came and caused NHRA officials to postpone the remainder of elimination rounds to the following day. Sunday, Monday or whatever day, Edwards was looking forward to a chance to put his K&N Pontiac in the winner's circle and take home his first ever GatorNationals win but he would need to get past Summit teammate, Ronnie Humphrey first. Waiting until the next day to finish eliminations always poses certain questions as Edwards points out. "You always wonder what the track will be like the next day when you have to wait like that. The thing is, you had two runs on it on Sunday, so you kind of had a feel for how it's going and what you need to do. So when you have to shut down for the day and come back the next morning, you are kind of skeptical of what to do or just not really sure of how to set up. It's really just like starting all over again. You just have to go with your best guess, I'd say." Call it a good guess or whatever you may, Edwards made a stout run in the semi-finals come Monday morning when again, he left first on his competitor, Ronnie Humphrey, while making his best run of eliminations, 6.521. But it was that one teeny-tiny thousandth of a second at the end of his time slip that had Edwards and his team concerned about the championship round, it cost them lane choice over Greg Anderson and his 6.520.

While the main goal in professional drag racing is getting to the stripe first, sometimes you still don't turn the win light on buy just having the lower E.T. and if anyone had been paying attention to Edwards throughout eliminations, they would have noticed that he was doing a pretty stout job on the .400 pro tree, with the better reaction time each and every round.

That would hold true for the final as well. After losing lane choice Greg Anderson and not all too happy to have to go back into the troublesome left lane, Edwards sliced the tree in two with an almost psychic .003 light to Anderson's quite late .070 and he needed it. Admitting he may have staged the car a hair little different in the final, which any changes in staging can cause a swap in reaction time and elapsed time, Edwards' car still slowed quite a bit from the round before, but with the outstanding starting line performance he took the stripe by nearly twelve feet and in doing so, denied Anderson of getting another win this season.

"When you are in the finals, well basically you just have to go for it," said K&N's Edwards. "We were real skeptic about the [left] lane anyway and we have made a lot of adjustments for the lane. We weren't really sure if we were going to run that great anyway, so we had to pull it all out and do all that we could do. We were fortunate and it turned our way. We didn't make the best run, but anytime you can win it's awesome and we'll take it. It was an ugly win, but it was a good win."

The victory would become Edwards' 34th NHRA Pro Stock national event win, his first at the GatorNationals and move him into number two in the 2012 point standings.

With his first win of the season under his belt, Edwards won't be taking his K&N/Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac home to rest until the next event, but right back out for some further testing and he will be ready for the first of two scheduled events in Las Vegas in two weeks. "There are a lot of changes that you have to make to these cars when you go from somewhere like Gainesville to Las Vegas," he pointed out. "Gear changes and a lot more. But we are all used to it and have information on how we have run it [Las Vegas] before, so it's not that big of a deal. So instead of running 6.50's and 40's, we'll be running 6.70's and 60's out there. It's just another way to race and I think it's more fun to do it that way. You have to adapt and know what to do in all those different situations and it makes it more fun and more interesting."

Every venue has its own special reason that Edwards looks forward to being there and for the next one at "The Strip" at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it's getting to see certain folks that don't get to attend every event. "I'm really looking forward to seeing Steve Williams and Greg Boutte from K&N. Steve is going to drive my car and I'm going to drive his," he joked. "And you know, we are actually going to make that happen one of these days. He really needs something like that to happen for as much as he's done for our sport, our class and for our team, I'd be all about it if he would want to do it. Steve Williams and K&N have been a real blessing to us and the support they have given our team is wonderful. That also includes the K&N Horsepower Challenge that they do for the Pro Stock class, that whole program is just phenomenal."

"Every year it just keeps getting bigger and bigger and better and better," he continued about the K&N Challenge. "Sometimes I just don't feel like we do enough to give back to them. One of these days I would love to win that deal at Norwalk. I've got close a couple of times, but I would like to seal the deal one time for sure."

"And maybe this year," he added with a smile.

With eight events left to add points to his total before the shootout in early July, Edwards is also sitting well in the 2012 K&N Horsepower Challenge standings, where he also currently sits number two and should he continue the strong performance he has shown over the first three events, still with a good shot at taking over the top spot from leader, Jason Line.

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

K&N Supported 2011 World Championship of Custom Bike Building Experiences Stellar Turnout

Mar 20, 2012

Ken Tabata walked away the world champion during the recent AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building.

Sixty-five competitors representing eighteen countries showed up at Sturgis, South Dakota in early August to showcase their interpretations of the world's ultimate motorcycle. Each competitor participating in the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building was allowed to enter as many as two bikes and in total, eighty bikes were judged in the competition.

North American Bureau Chief for the World Championship North American Bureau, Jeffrey Najar said, "The World Championship of Custom Bike Building exists to showcase and promote custom motorcycle design and engineering quality, craftsmanship and innovation." Referring to the bikes that have been entered throughout previous years, including 2011, he continued, "They are unique. They do not follow the bobber, cruiser, chopper trends that we have experienced in the domestic marketplace. They are from builders that have originated from Canada, USA, Europe and Japan. The 2008 championship bike was taken to Bonneville Speedway Trials and the 2010 entry is looking to go into production." When asked if he has noticed a change of tends, Najar explained, "The trend is in engineering quality, craftsmanship and innovation. That has not changed. Trends come and go, but our desire to personalize our bike and create it in our own image is universal."

Custom builders recently had the opportunity to showcase their interpretation of the ultimate motorcycle during the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building, held at Sturgis, South Dakota.

Although it's not uncommon for the custom builders to be internationally renowned in the business, one doesn't have to fit that mold to enter and even win the 2011 World Championship of Custom Bike Building. In fact, walking away with the title this year, Ken Tabata of Tavax Engineering, Tao City, Osaka, Japan, was a relatively unknown customizer prior to winning the title. That said, Tabata became a household name in the custom bike world immediately upon being declared the champion, as earning the title has been compared to winning the Indy 500. From here on out, the builder will always be known for his accomplishment.

Tabata's winning project was not devised and assembled overnight. It actually took 3 1/2 years to complete the build. Tabata describes his winning bike, TAVAX2011V, as being designed to look like a Cheetah about to pounce, all dynamic movement and power.

According to Najar, "TAVAX2011V effortlessly combines sculpted aluminum bodywork with one-off hand-made pieces that form the suspension and replace the stock engine and transmission covers. At the rear of the bike the swingarm pivots from behind the rear cylinder, arching over the transmission, and carrying a linkage system operated single shock, a design similar to that found in many modern sports bikes."

Larry Houghton, of Lamb Engineering, took second place with a bike he named "Son of a Gun." Based around a 1951 BSA single cylinder engine and Talon motocross wheels that he found on eBay, Houghton built the remainder of the custom bike predominantly from materials he found in scrap bins of friends working in the engineering industry. That said, his conviction to use recycled materials lent to a custom build costing less than nine thousand dollars.

Sticking to his motto, that a bike should have "everything it needs, and nothing it doesn't," Satya Cross built the third place bike. His custom cycle sported a "93ci S&S Shovelhead motor in a one-off frame carrying mono-shocked swingarm, telescopic forks and 17 inch Alpina spoked wheels shod with Metzeler sport bike tires."

Not only did Ken Tabata and the winners of each division earn instant notoriety, they also walked away with a K&N Intake System. Referring to K&N products, Najar said, "The very first performance upgrade on a motorcycle is a performance exhaust pipe and a high-flow K&N air filter. It provides the greatest bang for your buck. K&N's products not only look good, they are reusable; they perform."

"Without sponsors like K&N, we would not have an AMD World Championship," Najar continued. "K&N is integral to the health and well-being of the custom bike show." Referring to their sponsors, he explained, "Without the enthusiastic support, we would not have a championship. The closer we work together, the greater their investment will pay off."

In closing he said, "We would like to thank the participants for their hard work, interest and enthusiasm. Their work is truly outstanding, and we are blessed to be working with world-class engineers, artists and visionaries."

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

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